The African Union (AU) is a continental union of 55 member states[8] located on the continent of Africa. The AU was announced in the Sirte Declaration in Sirte, Libya, on 9 September 1999, calling for the establishment of the African Union. The bloc was launched on 9 July 2002 in Durban, South Africa.[9] The intention of the AU was to replace the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa by 32 signatory governments; the OAU was disbanded on 9 July 2002. The most important decisions of the AU are made by the Assembly of the African Union, a semi-annual meeting of the heads of state and government of its member states.
The AU's secretariat, the African Union Commission, is based in Addis Ababa. The largest city in the AU is Lagos, Nigeria while the largest urban agglomeration is Cairo, Egypt. The African Union has more than 1.3 billion people and an area of around 30 million km2 (12 million sq mi) and includes world landmarks such as the Sahara and the Nile.[10] The primary working languages are Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and Swahili.[2] Within the African Union, there are official bodies, such as the Peace and Security Council and the Pan-African Parliament.
At a G20 (Group of 20) meeting held in Delhi, India in 2023, the African Union was admitted as a member to the G20 like the European Union.[11]
- ^ "African Union anthem, etc". Africamasterweb.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
- ^ a b "AU Languages". African Union. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:4was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "African Union votes to readmit Morocco". BBC News. 19 September 2018. Archived from the original on 15 April 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2018.
- ^ Corresponds to the terrestrial surface. Including the Exclusive Economic Zones of each member state, the total area is 43 434 569 km2.
- ^ "Africa Population 2024".
- ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, April 2024". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. Archived from the original on 14 July 2020. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
- ^ "Member States AU-UN". WorldAtlas. 6 May 2024. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ Mbeki, Thabo (9 July 2002). "Launch of the African Union, 9 July 2002: Address by the chairperson of the AU, President Thabo Mbeki". ABSA Stadium, Durban, South Africa: africa-union.org. Archived from the original on 3 May 2009. Retrieved 8 February 2009.
- ^ Manboah-Rockson, Joseph (23 September 2016). Politics & the Struggle for Democracy in Ghana: An Introduction to Political Science.
- ^ "African Union made permanent member of G20 at Delhi summit". The Guardian. 9 September 2023. Retrieved 12 December 2023.
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